Camp Counselor Resume Example

A camp counselor resume is read by a camp director in February who is trying to fill forty staff spots with people who will not quit in week three. It needs your certifications with dates, the ages and group sizes you have supervised, what you did when a camper was hurt or homesick, and what you said to the parents afterward.

The Sample resume below is for a second-year education major in Milwaukee with two summers of camp work, one as a cabin counselor at an overnight camp in northern Wisconsin, and a summer as a lifeguard and swim instructor. The page puts the lifeguard, CPR, first aid and mandated reporter credentials in the headline, writes the cabin role with camper counts and ratios, and treats parent communication as a skill with a result rather than a phrase.

If this would be your first summer job of any kind, the summer job example covers applying with no experience and the certifications to schedule early. The resident assistant example is the school-year version of supervising a group where you live, and the same bullets often transfer. Students heading toward classrooms should see how the teacher example describes a group of children, and the high school student example covers the rest of a younger applicant's page. The Launch template gives certifications their own band.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Camp Counselor sample resume

Gavin Petrakis

Camp Counselor, 2 Summers | Lifeguard, CPR/AED, First Aid (current) | Education Major (BS, May 2028) | Available June 1 to August 20

Milwaukee, WIgavin.petrakis@example.com(414) 555-0140

Summary

Second-year elementary education major at Menomonee Valley University (BS expected May 2028) with a summer as a cabin counselor for ten boys ages nine to eleven at an overnight camp and a summer as a lifeguard and swim instructor at a municipal pool. Holds current Lifeguarding, CPR/AED and First Aid certifications and Wisconsin mandated reporter training. Seeking a senior counselor or waterfront staff role for summer 2027, available from June 1 through August 20.

Experience

Cabin Counselor, Camp Birchwater

–

Minocqua, WI

  • Lived with and supervised a cabin of ten boys ages nine to eleven for four two-week sessions, forty campers in total, from 7 a.m. wake-up through lights out, with one co-counselor.
  • Led the archery and canoeing activity periods for groups of twelve, keeping a one-to-six ratio on the water and running the daily equipment and life jacket checks.
  • Handled 14 homesick nights, two camper conflicts that required a mediated conversation, and one wrist injury at the climbing wall, each documented in the camp's log and reported to the unit director the same day.
  • Wrote a short end-of-session note home for every camper and took eight parent phone calls during the summer, including two about medication schedules, with no complaints escalated to the director.
  • Asked back for 2027 with a recommendation for the waterfront lead position after the aquatics director observed my canoe sessions.
Lifeguard and Swim Instructor, Harbor Lights Aquatic Center

–

Milwaukee, WI

  • Guarded an outdoor pool with 300 to 500 daily swimmers in a six-guard rotation, with one assisted rescue and nine first aid responses over the season.
  • Taught 60 children ages four to ten across five two-week lesson sessions, with 52 passing their level; parents of three students asked for me by name for the next session.
  • Opened the facility three mornings a week, testing water chemistry and setting up lane lines before the 6 a.m. lap swim.
Volunteer Coach, Youth Soccer, Menomonee Valley University Community Sports Program

–

Milwaukee, WI

  • Coached a team of twelve seven- and eight-year-olds through two eight-week seasons, running a one-hour practice and a Saturday game each week.
  • Sent a weekly schedule and recap email to parents and coordinated the carpool for away games with a parent volunteer.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (expected May 2028)

Menomonee Valley University, Milwaukee, WI

GPA 3.5. Relevant courses: Child Development, Classroom Management, Teaching Physical Education and Health, Introduction to Special Education. 30 hours of observation in a third-grade classroom, fall 2026.

Skills

  • Cabin and group supervision (ratios 1:5 to 1:12)
  • Lifeguarding and waterfront safety
  • CPR/AED and First Aid
  • Swim instruction
  • Archery and canoeing instruction
  • Behavior management and homesickness
  • Incident logging and reporting
  • Parent communication by phone and note
  • Camper medication awareness
  • Songs, games and rainy-day programming
  • Opening and closing a facility

Certifications

  • Lifeguarding with CPR/AED and First Aid, American Red Cross,
  • Mandated Reporter Training, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families,
  • Archery Instructor Certification, Level 1, USA Archery,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the camp counselor resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same camp counselor resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

High school junior seeking a first camp counselor or counselor-in-training position, with two years of babysitting, a season as a youth soccer assistant coach and a CPR course completed in April.

  • Babysat two children ages four and seven for one family every Friday evening for two years, including bedtime routines and one trip to urgent care handled calmly.
  • Assisted a coach with a team of fourteen six-year-olds for a spring season, running warm-ups and the water break roster.
  • Completed CPR and first aid certification before applying rather than waiting for the camp to provide it.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Second-year education major with a summer as an overnight cabin counselor for forty campers across four sessions and a summer as a lifeguard and swim instructor, applying for a senior counselor or waterfront staff role.

  • Supervised a cabin of ten boys ages nine to eleven around the clock with one co-counselor and led archery and canoeing for groups of twelve.
  • Fourteen homesick nights, two mediated camper conflicts and one injury, all documented and reported the same day.
  • Called parents directly about medication schedules instead of leaving it to the health center, with the unit director's approval.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Fourth-year education major and three-summer camp veteran, most recently unit director for six cabins and twelve staff, seeking an assistant camp director role or a first teaching position with summer camp leadership on the page.

  • Supervised twelve counselors and 60 campers per session as a unit director, running the daily staff meeting and reviewing every incident log.
  • Rewrote the homesickness response guide for new counselors, and first-week early pickups in the unit fell from six to two across the summer.
  • Recommended ending a long-running overnight hike after a weather review, and the director adopted the change for all units.

Skills to put on the camp counselor resume

Hard skills

Current certifications
Lifeguard, CPR, first aid and any activity certifications decide which positions you qualify for, and a director fills waterfront and specialty spots first.
Supervision ratios and ages
Camps are licensed on ratios, and stating the ages and group sizes you have handled tells the director where to place you.
Activity instruction
A counselor who can teach archery, swimming, climbing or crafts fills a program need as well as a cabin, which is two hires in one.
Incident logging
Camps document everything for licensing and insurance, and a count of incidents reported the same day shows you understand why.
Mandated reporter training
Many states require it for camp staff, and having it completed before hire is one less thing the director must schedule.
Medication and health awareness
Campers arrive with allergies, inhalers and daily medications, and a counselor who has handled the schedule with parents is trusted with more.

Soft skills

Energy for long days
Overnight camp is sixteen hours a day for weeks, and a full season completed is the only proof a director believes.
Patience with homesickness and behavior
The quiet work of a counselor is the crying camper at night, and a described count of those nights shows you have done it.
Clear communication with parents
Parents judge the camp by the counselor who called, and notes home or phone calls with no escalations are a measurable result.
Working with a co-counselor
Cabins are shared, and a director wants staff who split the work and back each other up in front of campers.

Mistakes that cost camp counselor interviews

  1. Enthusiasm instead of evidence

    Love working with kids appears on every application. Replace it with the ages and numbers you have supervised, the certifications you hold and one hard situation you handled with the outcome.

  2. Certifications without expiration or issuer

    A director has to verify that your lifeguard or CPR card is valid through August. List the issuing organization and the year, and renew anything that lapses mid-summer before you apply.

  3. Leaving out babysitting and coaching

    For a first camp job, babysitting, youth coaching, church or scout leadership and tutoring are the experience. Write each with the ages, how often and for how long, and anything you handled alone.

  4. Ignoring parent communication

    Directors spend their summers on parent calls, and a counselor who can write a calm note or take a medication call saves them hours. If you have done either, give it a bullet with a number.

  5. Applying in May

    Overnight camps hire from January through March and run staff training in early June. Day camps and parks programs hire a little later. A resume sent in May competes for the positions nobody else wanted.

  6. Forgetting availability dates

    Camps need staff for training week through the last session. State your first and last available day in the headline, and name any week you cannot work.

Questions about the camp counselor resume

What certifications should a camp counselor have on a resume?

CPR/AED and first aid at minimum, lifeguarding for any waterfront role, and activity certifications such as archery, ropes or wilderness first aid if the camp offers them. Mandated reporter training is required in many states. List each with the issuer and year.

How do I write a camp counselor resume with no camp experience?

Use babysitting, youth coaching, tutoring, scouting leadership or a lifeguard job, each with the ages and group size. Get CPR and first aid certified before applying, state your availability for the full season, and say in the summary that you want a counselor or counselor-in-training role.

Should I list the ages of campers I worked with?

Yes, always, along with group size and whether it was day or overnight camp. Directors place staff by age group, and a counselor comfortable with nine-year-olds may not be the right fit for a teen leadership program.

How do I describe handling a camper injury or a homesick child?

By type and count, without names: fourteen homesick nights, one wrist injury, documented and reported to the unit director the same day. The pattern shows you followed procedure and did not hide problems.

Does camp counselor experience help with a teaching or nursing career?

Yes. Supervising a group around the clock, managing behavior, communicating with parents and handling health incidents are the exact skills teaching and pediatric programs ask about. Write the bullets with those words and the numbers attached.

How long should a camp counselor resume be?

One page. A director reading two hundred applications wants certifications, ages and group sizes, availability and two or three handled situations. Anything beyond that is for the interview.

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